Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire was the independent western half of the Roman Empire which existed from 395 AD to 476 AD, with Mediolanium serving as its capital from 395 to 402 and then Ravenna from 402 to 476. The Western Empire was created after Theodosius I divided the empire into coequal western and eastern halves in 395 AD, with his son Honorius inheriting the west and his other son Arcadius inheriting the Eastern Roman Empire. The half-Vandal general Stilicho was the power behind the throne during Honorius' reign, and he had to strip Roman forces from the Rhine frontier to defend Italy against Alaric I, allowing for the Vandals, Alans, and Suebi to cross the Rhine and invade Gaul in 406 AD. Stilicho was executed due to court intrigues in 408 AD, and the West began to collapse due to barbarian invasions and political strife. Alaric's men sacked Rome in 410 AD, and Italy was later invaded by Attila's Huns during the 450s AD. In 455 AD, the Vandals carried out a second sacking of Rome, plundering the city for 14 days. Emperor Majorian recruited large numbers of barbarian mercenaries with the goal of defending the empire, attempting to reconquer lost lands. The Suebi general Ricimer, backed by the Roman aristocracy, arrested, tortured, and executed Majorian after his plan to reconquer Mauretania failed due to the sabotage and destruction of his fleet by traitors. The Germanic commanders of the Roman armies dominated ineffectual Roman puppet emperors, and Ricimer installed numerous puppets as emperor, disposing of many of them when they proved useless. He deposed and killed Anthemius in 472 AD and appointed Olybrius as his successor, and he died shortly after. His nephew Gundobad became the new commander-in-chief and appointed Glycerius as the new emperor after Olybrius died of dropsy after just seven months of rule. In 474 AD, the Eastern Empire-backed claimant Julius Nepos invaded Italy and peacefully deposed Glycerius, but his brief rule ended in 475 AD when Romulus Augustulus was placed in power by his father after a coup against Julius Nepos. Nepos reigned in exile from Dalmatia while Romulus Augustulus held power in Rome, and, on 4 September 476 AD, the Herulian mercenary leader Odoacer captured Ravenna and deposed Romulus, proclaiming himself ruler of Italy; the Western Roman Empire was no more. In 480 AD, Nepos was murdered, and Odoacer annexed Dalmatia to his rule.